One of Our Closets Has a Mothball Smell. Should We Try to Fix It?

A. A closet that smells like mothballs is a big turnoff for many buyers, said Fabienne Lécole, an associate real estate broker at William Raveis in Manhattan. “It’s not attractive at all,” she said. “It’s a very strong and unusual smell that reminds me of my great-great-great-grandmother.”

And it could make your entire home appear just as dated.

Beyond objections to the smell, buyers may also have health concerns. Mothballs are usually made with naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, pesticides that can be harmful to people and animals.

Unfortunately, eliminating the odor isn’t as simple as just removing the mothballs. Even after they’re gone and the clothing that was stored with them has been cleaned, the smell can linger.

“It’s actually really hard to get rid of it,” said Ms. Lécole, who encountered the problem in an apartment she listed as part of an estate sale. Her solution: deep cleaning, scented candles and lots of patience.

There are more reliable ways of eliminating the odor. If you’re considering renovating the closet, removing the existing fixtures and drywall will immediately solve the problem, said Melanie Charlton, chief executive of the New York closet design company Clos-ette.

But you don’t have to go to such lengths if you want to keep the existing closet system. “If you’re not demolishing and taking shelves out,” Ms. Charlton said, “the most effective way to remove the smell — and it’s the simplest thing ever — is lavender oil.”

Scatter lavender sachets around the space and dab lavender essential oil directly on the shelves with your fingertip or a cotton swab. “It won’t hurt the wood,” she said. “It’s actually moisturizing.”

The oil is so aromatic and antiseptic that it will take out the smell in a matter of days, she said, leaving a scent that most people find pleasing.

It also offers continued protection against moths, she added: “And it’s not poisonous. You can forget moths and any other bugs that might be there.”

It may sound too good to be true, but when it comes to closets, Ms. Charlton said, lavender is “the most amazing essential oil there is.” Tim McKeough

Questions about repairs or redecorating before putting a home on the market may be sent to marketready@nytimes.com. Unpublished questions cannot be answered individually.